4-Day Erg Chegaga Desert Tour from Marrakech

Stretch a 4-day Erg Chegaga tour over the same ground a 3-day trip covers and the whole journey changes character: the drive south becomes a string of half-day stages, there is time to wander a palm grove on foot, and you arrive at the dunes rested rather than road-weary. This private itinerary from Marrakech follows the old caravan route through the Draa Valley to M’Hamid, crosses by 4×4 to the remote sands of Erg Chegaga and returns over the dry lake of Iriki, with three nights to enjoy it.

Tour overview

Your driver collects you from your riad or hotel and stays with you for the four days, so the pace is set by you, not a group timetable. The first night is in Ouarzazate, the second in the Draa Valley near Zagora and the third in a camp among the dunes. Compared with our fast 3-day Erg Chegaga tour, you gain a full afternoon in the palmeraie, an unhurried visit to Tamegroute and much shorter driving days on the way down. It suits couples and families alike.

Highlights

• Time to explore Aït Benhaddou properly, including the river crossing and hilltop granary
• An evening in Ouarzazate, with the option of a kasbah visit
• A guided walk through Draa Valley palm groves and irrigated gardens
• Tamegroute’s Koranic library and its green-glazed pottery cooperative
• Off-road from M’Hamid to the dunes of Erg Chegaga, followed by a camel ride at dusk
• The flat white expanse of lake Iriki on the way out to Foum Zguid

Itinerary

Day 1: Marrakech – Tizi n’Tichka – Aït Benhaddou – Ouarzazate

Departure at a civilised 8:30. The road winds up through Berber villages to the Tizi n’Tichka pass at 2,260 m, roughly two and a half hours from the city. Reach Aït Benhaddou for lunch and spend as long as you like among the earthen houses of the ksar before the half-hour drive to Ouarzazate. Total driving is about four and a half hours. Dinner and overnight in Ouarzazate.

Day 2: Ouarzazate – Agdz – Draa Valley – Zagora

After breakfast you cross the Anti-Atlas foothills by the Tizi n’Tinififft and drop down to Agdz, where the Draa Valley begins in earnest. From here the road follows a near-unbroken ribbon of date palms and kasbahs. Stop for lunch in the valley, then spend the afternoon on foot with a local guide among the palm groves. Driving time is around three hours spread through the day. Overnight in a guesthouse in the Zagora palmeraie.

Day 3: Zagora – Tamegroute – M’Hamid – Erg Chegaga

Twenty minutes south lies Tamegroute. Visit the Zaouia library with its old handwritten Korans, then the potters’ quarter, where the green glaze is still fired in earth kilns. Continue to M’Hamid, around an hour and a quarter further, for lunch. In the afternoon the 4×4 leaves the tarmac for roughly 60 km of piste, about two hours, before the dunes appear on the horizon. Settle into camp, then ride a camel into the sand for sunset. Dinner by the fire and a night of deep desert silence.

Day 4: Erg Chegaga – lake Iriki – Foum Zguid – Marrakech

Rise early for sunrise over dunes of up to about 60 m. After breakfast the 4×4 heads west across the dry bed of lake Iriki reaching Foum Zguid in about two and a half to three hours. From there the tarmac leads via Tazenakht and Ouarzazate back over the High Atlas to Marrakech. Honestly, this is the one long day, roughly nine to ten hours with stops. Arrival in Marrakech in the early evening.

Options and prices

The price is worked out automatically from two parts: a private vehicle with driver for four days, divided across your group, plus accommodation charged per person per night for the three nights in Ouarzazate, Zagora and the desert camp. Enter your date and number of travellers and the live price for your group, date and option is shown in the booking form below. A 10% deposit by card or PayPal secures your place, with the balance paid on the day. For a second night in the dunes, a luxury camp or upgraded hotels, send us a request through our tailor-made trips service and we will reply with a free quote.

What’s included

Included

• Pick-up and drop-off at your Marrakech riad or hotel
• Private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for four days
• 4×4 transfers on the M’Hamid – Erg Chegaga – Foum Zguid pistes
• Three nights’ accommodation: Ouarzazate, Zagora, desert camp
• Three breakfasts and three dinners
• Camel ride in Erg Chegaga
• Palm grove walk with a local guide in the Draa Valley

Not included

• Lunches and drinks
• Entrance fees at kasbahs and the Tamegroute library
• Tips
• Travel insurance

Good to know

Pack layers: mornings and nights in the desert can be close to freezing from November to March, while June to August afternoons are fierce. A scarf for wind and sand, closed shoes for the dunes, a headtorch and a power bank are all useful; see what to wear in Morocco for more. The trip is suitable for most ages and fitness levels, although the off-road sections are bumpy, so tell us about back or pregnancy concerns. To understand how this desert fits with others, read our guide to Erg Chegaga desert tours, browse the kasbah and oasis tours or the full range of Sahara desert tours.

Frequently asked questions